Gaming machines, such as slot machines, video poker machines and the like, have been a cornerstone of the gaming industry for several years. Generally, the popularity of such machines with players is dependent on the likelihood (or perceived likelihood) of winning money at the machine and the intrinsic entertainment value of the machine relative to other available gaming options. Where the available gaming options include a number of competing machines and the expectation of winning at each machine is roughly the same (or believed to be the same), players are likely to be attracted to the most entertaining and exciting machines. Shrewd operators consequently strive to employ the most entertaining and exciting machines, features, and enhancements available because such machines attract frequent play and hence increase profitability to the operator. Therefore, there is a continuing need for gaming machine manufacturers to continuously develop new games and improved gaming enhancements that will attract frequent play through enhanced entertainment value to the player.
One way that players may experience a heightened entertainment level while playing the wagering game is when the player senses that he or she has a better chance of achieving a winning outcome. Because the player is typically focused on the display on which the wagering game is being played, providing visual indicators that a winning outcome player is more likely to be achieved in the wagering game can be influential in attracting new players and maintaining existing players. The present invention is directed to providing a specific type of visual indicator for a slots-based wagering game that uses a background symbol located behind the moving simulated reels of the slots-based wagering game.